Ginger Christmas
by JunoInferno
Summary: It's Christmas and the Doctor thinks this spells doom, while Donna is determined to celebrate for the sake of their daughter. Plans change when they encounter a red-nosed reindeer.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Notes: Grr! I forgot Author's Notes when I first published. Okay, must be quick. In case you haven't noticed, I do not own Doctor Who, the Doctor, Donna or Christmas. Maybe I own Zara but I wouldn't tell Donna that. Not for anything. Anyway, this takes place a couple of months after the end of Regarding Mrs. Smith. I'm feeling a little festive and my prequel is getting kind of angsty. Oh, slight note, remember that thing that happened Christmas/New Year's 2009 and it was the End of... Something? Yeah, that's not happening here. So just forget anything you ever knew about that at least while you read this and we can call it EOT denial if you want. Fine by me. Enjoy!

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><p>The Doctor awoke from his sleep to find that his bed was more crowded than he remembered as the TARDIS hummed softly. He reached across and ran his fingers through Zara's delicate ginger baby hair.<p>

"What are you doing here?"

Her arms were locked around Donna's neck as they both slept. Donna, still sleeping, reached an arm across and felt something else between her pronounced baby bump and the Doctor. She opened her eyes, looking at Zara first, then the Doctor.

"Did you get her out?," she whispered.

"No, she must have climbed out again."

Donna sighed and wrapped her arms around Zara. "Mummy's little monkey."

In the two months or so since they had resumed their travels on the TARDIS, Zara had developed even more, no longer hampered by the Doctor's need for secrecy. She wasn't that much bigger than a normal human of her age, but she was sturdier and better coordinated and had begun to string together small sentences in English and big ones in High Gallifreyan, though she didn't always get that perfectly. The Doctor scooted himself closer and put his hand over Donna's bump.

"How was she?," he asked.

"Brilliant," smiled Donna as she yawned. "I taught her to swim."

"Oi! Try to leave me something."

Donna raised an eyebrow even though both her eyes were closed. "Leave you something? Tell you what, quantum physics, history of the universe, banana species..."

"Leave me something fun," said the Doctor.

"Those things aren't fun now?"

"Not to a baby," protested the Doctor.

Zara stirred, she looked up at Donna who opened her eyes.

"Hello, sweetheart," Donna said softly.

Zara pointed at Donna's belly. "Baby."

"That's right," said Donna, "there's a baby in there."

"Where will baby live?," asked Zara.

The Doctor grinned as Donna sighed.

"We've been through all that, Zara. The baby will live with us, she's your little sister and we love her very much," said Donna.

"Zara baby."

"Oh, sweetheart, really," moaned Donna. She looked at the Doctor. "Help me untangle her. I've got to use the toilet."

"There we are, Zara," said the Doctor, gently pulling Zara's arms off Donna. Donna escaped to the bathroom quickly and the Doctor rested Zara on his chest. She started babbling in High Gallifreyan.

The Doctor sighed. "I keep telling you she's coming, Zara. If you don't believe me now, you're in for a bit of a shock later."

"Zara baby."

"Yes, I know. And how long are you going to keep referring to yourself in the third person? I know you're trying to master two languages here, but first person pronouns are important, otherwise people are going to think you have an egotistical bent."

"What? Like if you said 'I'm the Doctor'?"

The Doctor looked up at Donna , backlit by the bathroom light.

"That's different," he said.

"She's ten months old," said Donna, getting herself back in the bed, "I'll not have you criticizing her language skills. Here, beautiful, come to Mummy."

Zara crawled over to Donna. She grabbed the top of Donna's nightgown and pulled down, latching onto a breast. She had always been a little pushy about nursing, but lately it was unleashed. Donna had been awakened no less than three times when Zara had crawled out of her cot and helped herself to a breast. Donna's mother had insisted over the phone- because of course, now she was a gran, she knew everything or rather, even more of it- that Donna wean her altogether, but Donna couldn't bear the idea of it, not until she was ready and besides, she'd have to share with a sibling soon enough.

"Well, there's the problem," said the Doctor.

"Pardon?"

"No, not that, you always refer to yourself in the third person when speaking to her. She probably thinks that's the proper way to construct a sentence."

"Not always and not as if I'm the only one!," said Donna. "In the middle of that thing with the King of Siam, I do recall someone saying 'Who's Daddy's ginger Time Baby?'"

"All the same, perhaps we should stop."

Donna rolled her eyes. "Who's Mummy's girl?", she cooed at Zara. "Who likes Mummy's milk?"

"Fine, don't take me seriously."

"Who wants to go see Father Christmas?," said Donna, ignoring the Doctor's insulted expression.

"What?," exclaimed the Doctor.

Donna sighed. "Christmas with my family. We agreed to this, ages ago and we can't just skip one. She'll never let me hear the end of it."

"Yes, but no one mentioned Father Christmas!"

"My mum wants pictures and besides, I made the booking months ago when I didn't know I had a Time Baby."

"Let me just make sure I'm following you, Donna, you want to take the most special baby in the universe and just let her sit in Father Christmas' lap? Are you mad?"

"No, I want to take my daughter to visit Father Christmas and have some photos taken. Is that too much to ask?"

"The human race, just hand your children over to a stranger, why don't you?"

"Oi, what about the Time Lord race? Didn't you all just hand your children over to be raised by strangers when they were eight? I think that probably does more long term harm than taking a portrait with Father Christmas!"

Zara still nursed happily. She had grown used to the sound of her parents fighting, Donna thought she might even find it comforting.

"That was different!"

"Yes, it's much worse."

"Christmas is dangerous enough without you handing Zara over to Father Christmas."

"Would you please listen to how ridiculous you sound? Christmas of terror," she drew out the last words derisively.

"I'm sorry, are you the same woman who was almost eaten by giant spiders on Christmas Eve?"

Donna looked the Doctor squarely in the face. He might have swallowed a bit, Scary Donna was about to emerge.

"Now, spaceman, you listen here, I might hate Christmas, you might hate Christmas, but Zara and any other Ginger Time Babies, are going to have the most wonderful, magical Christmases ever. I don't care if you have to fight off invasions or ghosts or stop the Titanic from crashing into Buckingham Palace, that's why you're the Doctor. Okay, time boy?"

The Doctor saw Zara's eyes get big as she awaited his answer to Donna.

"Christmas. Right. Love Christmas, me."

"That's what I thought you said."


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: I do not own the Doctor, Donna or Christmas. Thanks for the reads and reviews, hope you enjoy! Oh, as a pre-apology, I am American so if I get something wrong about English Christmas, I'm sorry and let me know. I'm getting this stuff from the Internet. I only mention it because it annoyed me every time in Miracle Day when RTD would have an American character saying something like "car park."

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><p>The Doctor materialized the TARDIS in the cellar of the Smith House. He, Donna, Zara and Esther headed upstairs to find the kitchen was already being used.<p>

"Sylvia?," said the Doctor. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm robbing you, what do you think?" Sylvia walked over and took Zara from Donna. "Hello, Zara. How are you?"

"Gran," said Zara.

"Oh, she's so clever," said Sylvia.

"Still, what are you doing here?"

"I asked Mum to help with Christmas," said Donna, putting down the nappy bag.

"Why don't you make yourself useful and go help Dad and Ianto with the lights?," asked Sylvia.

The Doctor wasn't sure whether to ask about Ianto or lights first.

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><p>He did indeed find Ianto up a ladder handing Christmas lights. Wilf was arranging some sort of display of plastic statues.<p>

"Ianto."

"Hello, Doctor," he said.

"Why are you-"

"Mrs. Noble invited me. Jack is spending Christmas with his daughter and grandson. I thought of spending the holiday with my sister, but she invited her husband's parents to stay. They're... colorful people. So, ginger Time Babies it was."

"How's Torchwood coming along?"

"It's coming. We haven't found Jack's vortex manipulator or the Pternadon yet, though. Wilf's offered to help with the Pternadon, though."

The Doctor finally looked at what Wilf was doing, putting up some plastic Santas with the same face as the Autons that usually came to kill him this time of year.

"We're not having that!," said the Doctor pointing accusingly.

"Not having what?," asked Wilf.

"That! They'll turn into robots and set off Christmas trees!"

Wilf and Ianto exchanged glances.

"Doctor, that sounds ridiculous," said Ianto.

"Says the man searching for his Pternadon!" The Doctor started picking up the figures. "Now, where can I lock these up at?"

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><p>Several hours later with the lights completed and security checked by the Doctor, they all piled into the cars and headed off to Santa's Grotto at Harrod's.<p>

To the Doctor, the place looked like a death trap.

There were Christmas trees as far as the eye could see, just waiting to start spinning and sawing through people. They were all decorated in shiny glass balls which the Doctor was certain would fly into the air and explode. How had he let Donna talk him into coming here? He slowly tried to escape Donna's notice and slip backwards with the pram into the lift.

"Doctor!," shouted Donna.

It hadn't worked.

Donna came over and took the pram from him, steering it further into hell.

The Doctor watched as Zara cooed over the displays, reaching out to touch everything. Donna knelt beside the pram, pointing out things to her.

"Daddy, tree!," Zara shouted trying to get his attention.

"Yes..." answered the Doctor with a grimace.

"Tree spinning!," she shouted.

"What?," said the Doctor.

He looked up to see in fact Zara was pointing at a tree that was rotating. The Doctor rushed over, putting himself between Zara, Donna and the tree and pointed the Sonic Screwdriver at it. He activated setting number six hundred and four- the killer Christmas tree setting- and sparks flew from the tree and it popped off the stand and onto the floor, leaving a slew of broken glass in its wake.

"Tree go bye bye?," asked Zara.

"What the hell did you do that for?," asked Donna.

"The tree... It was spinning. That's how they start..."

"Doctor," said Ianto. He showed the Doctor a placard:

"Rotating Tree Stand, Thirty Pounds" it read.

"Oh," he said and looked up at Donna's angry glare. "Rotating tree stand. That's... clever. So you can see all the ornaments."

"You idiot," said Sylvia.

Wilf just gave the Doctor an expression of pity.

"Give me the sonic," said Donna.

"What?"

"Give me the sonic. Now."

The Doctor shook his head. "I don't want to give you my screwdriver."

"Give it to me and you can have it back later when you can behave."

"I'm not going to let you treat me like a child, Donna."

"I'll stop treating you like one when you stop acting like one!"

Donna took the sonic screwdriver out of the Doctor's hand, leaving him slack-jawed. He looked up at Ianto in wide-eyed shock.

"She took my sonic!"

"There, there, Doctor," said Ianto, "why don't we go get some Christmas biscuits? You'll feel better."

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><p>The Doctor hated queues.<p>

Queues were all about waiting and if he liked waiting he wouldn't need a time machine, would he?

He stood there with Zara and Donna. The others had gone off to do a bit of shopping before Zara met Father Christmas since the attendant said it was going to be an hour.

And Donna was hardly speaking to him.

"So..." said the Doctor. "Christmas... You know, I was at the first Christmas. I got the last room at the inn. Huge row over that."

"You don't have to stand here," said Donna.

"I'm fine."

"Well, I don't want you standing here if you don't want to stand here."

"No, I can stand here," said the Doctor. "How many more years is it?"

"If you are just going to be negative about this whole experience-"

"I said I was sorry about the tree! Who ever heard of a rotating tree stand? You humans are so inventive."

"Don't even start on the 'you humans' bit. I hate when you do that."

"It was a compliment..."

"I don't care!"

The Doctor shook his head. "What is with you and Christmas this year?"

"Zara! Zara is with me and Christmas!" Donna scowled as she edged the pram closer in line.

The Doctor didn't question that. Instead, he just stood there until it was Zara's big moment to meet Father Christmas. Donna got Zara out of the pram and took her to put her in his lap to the Doctor's chagrin.

"I'm watching you," said the Doctor as he looked at Father Christmas.

Father Christmas ignored him and turned to Zara. "What's your name, little girl?"

"Zara!"

"Have you been good this year?"

"Yes," Zara smiled.

"What would you like for Christmas this year?"

Zara looked as if she was seriously considering the question and trying to pick what she wanted most in the universe. Finally, she spoke.

"New house for baby!"

"Zara!," exclaimed Donna.

Father Christmas chuckled as he looked over at Donna's baby bump. He looked back at Zara. "I don't know about that, but if you're good for Mummy and Daddy, I'll bring you a toy on Christmas Eve. How would you like that?"

"Thank you!," she said.

They posed for the photographer and the Doctor was forced to get in.

"Uh, Dad, want to smile?," the teenager in an elf costume asked.

"Not really," muttered the Doctor.

"Smile," said Donna through gritted teeth.

So, he smiled. They waited for the pictures to print and the Doctor tasted the chocolate coin Father Christmas had given Zara before he decided it was safe for her.

"Brilliant!," exclaimed the Doctor as Donna took the envelope of photos. "Can we please leave now?"

"No, I've got to do the Christmas shopping."

"What?"

Donna sighed. "You don't want to help? Fine. You can sit here with Zara. I need to buy a lump of coal for you anyway!"

Donna stalked off.

"What are you getting me coal for?," he shouted after her.

He pushed Zara's pram over by a nearby chair.

"So, this is Christmas," said the Doctor, "what these humans go on about. They never showed me this part. Queuing up, going through crowds... Father Christmas. You know, I knew Father Christmas, the real one. I lent him those coins and did he pay me back? No. And I needed them to fight off a brigade of Cybermen!"

Zara pointed back at where Father Christmas was listening to another child's requests. "Father Christmas?," she asked with big sad eyes.

"Blimey, your mother's right, those are persuasive, I'd never noticed that about this regeneration." He supposed he couldn't break the truth to Zara on her first Christmas. "Yes, Zara, that's Father Christmas."

Zara clapped her little hands together in joy.

"I wish your mum would hurry up..."

"Doggie!," said Zara.

The Doctor looked up. "Where?"

"Doggie!"

He looked on the other side of the pram. Zara was pointing at a reindeer, probably a display. A very good one, though.

"No, Zara, that's a reindeer and it's not real. It's just pretend."

The reindeer grunted and looked at the Doctor as if it was offended as it clicked its hooves against the floor.

"That's actually really good..." said the Doctor. "Is that real? What's a reindeer doing in a department store?"

"Nose!," said Zara.

The Doctor looked as Zara pointed at the reindeer's nose: it was red and blinking. He reached for his sonic screwdriver and realized that it was still in Donna's handbag. He looked back at the reindeer as Zara cooed at it.

"Rudolph?," asked the Doctor.

Then the reindeer blinked into a white light and vanished.

"What?," said the Doctor.

"What?," repeated Zara.


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Notes: I do not own the Doctor, Donna or reindeer. Especially red nosed ones. Thanks and enjoy!

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><p>Donna was queuing up to pay at for gifts for her mum and grandad when she spotted a man with ridiculous hair racing towards her as he zoomed a pink pram along.<p>

It was only three seconds before she remembered that she was married to that man. She covered her face in embarrassment.

"Donna, I need the sonic back! I need to scan the area before the residual energy wears off!"

Donna sighed. "What residual energy?"

"From the reindeer!"

"Doggie!," Zara offered from the pram.

"I keep telling you, Zara, not a doggie. Reindeer."

"Big doggie!"

"Are you just trying to sound ridiculous now?," asked Donna.

"Donna, it had a blinking red nose, part mechanical, part organic, maybe some kind of cyborg must have been using some sort of energy transportation device, I don't know what kind. Please, I need the sonic, my timey wimey detector is back on the TARDIS."

"A blinking red nose?," said Donna. "You saw Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer?"

"You might even say it glows."

"You would do anything to get out of Christmas, wouldn't you?"

"I am not trying to get out of Christmas, Donna, I am trying to find out where this reindeer came from!"

"Take Zara to find a toy."

"Donna, I'm not lying about the reindeer! Why would I lie about a reindeer in Harrod's?"

"Why do you lie about anything?"

"Fine. I'll take Zara to find a toy."

The Doctor quickly steered Zara over to Toy Kingdom and started looking for parts that he could make into a scanner.

It was that or wrestle Donna for her bag.

He really didn't want to wrestle Donna for her bag.

He let Zara out of the pram to go after a mechanical dog that walked, barked and flipped as he searched. He started going through the walkie talkies and found a miniature microscope.

"Sir, may I help you?," asked the clerk.

"No, I've got this."

"Sir, you're not really meant to open the toys here."

He took out the psychic paper and flashed it. "John Smith, Health and Safety, Toy Department. I'm checking these for safety," he said as he ripped the wiring out of a Hello Kitty radio. "See, that is definitely unsafe."

He looked over at Zara. She had found another little girl, a bit older than her and it seemed she was interested in the same dog that Zara was. Zara seemed to be a bit better at catching it, though. He turned back to his work and was connecting the microscope to the radio when he heard someone shout, "Stupid ginge!"

He looked back to see that the other little girl had a brother, about five, who was yelling at Zara! He headed over just as the boy pushed Zara to the floor and she began wailing.

"Oi, you! What do you think you're doing?," he shouted as he scooped Zara up.

"Dunno."

"Where's your mother?"

"Dunno."

"Does she know you act like this?"

"Dunno."

"What exactly do you know?"

He paused then answered again. "Dunno. It's the ginge's fault."

"Zara ginge?," sobbed Zara.

"Oh, no, no, no," said the Doctor. "Zara's beautiful."

"She is too a ginge!"

Donna approached. "What's going on here?"

"Oh, now you're in for it," said the Doctor.

"What? You can't touch me!"

"Zara ginge..." she sobbed.

"What?," asked Donna. She looked at the boy. "Did you call my daughter a ginge?"

"Dunno."

"Do you know what happens to little boys that call gingers names? Ginger witches come in the night and take out all their teeth one by one."

"Oh, no," the Doctor said in a low voice.

"Donna..."

"Mummy!," screamed the boy. "That ginge lady is going to murder me!"

"Oh, you're exaggerating."

The boy ran off crying.

"Donna, he was only a boy."

"And he's an arsehole." She looked at the mangling of Hello Kitty radio and toy microscope. "What did you do, Doctor?"

"I've been trying to make a new timey wimey detector." He looked back at Zara and whispered low to her. "Now, Zara, you listen to me, ginger Time Babies are the most brilliant and special and beautiful of all the children in all the galaxies. Lucky you are one."

He looked up to see Donna smiling at him. So refreshing not to be yelled at. Of course, he sort of like the yelling... They heard a grunting and looked up to see the reindeer as he clicked his hooves. It rubbed its light-tipped muzzle against Zara's dangling leg.

"Doctor," said Donna.

"Yes."

"That's a red-nosed reindeer."

"Yeah."

"Big doggie," said Zara as she pointed.

Donna took Zara from the Doctor and the reindeer edged over to that direction. He took out his newly made invention and started scanning the reindeer.

"Should we be letting him that close? What if he has some kind of disease?"

"What sort of disease?," asked the Doctor.

"I don't know! How do I know what sort of diseases reindeer carry around?"

The Doctor scanned. "Oh, seventy first century, you've come an awfully long way, haven't you?"

"He's a time travelling reindeer?," asked Donna

"Course he is."

"Well, what's he doing here?"

"How am I supposed to know?," asked the Doctor.

"You know, for a genius who claims to know everything, you have an awful lot of selective knowledge! 'I know all five hundred species of banana but rock aliens in Pompeii, I didn't know that'."

A woman started rushing towards Donna. "Did you yell at my son?"

"Oh, lady, you don't want any of this," said Donna.

"Did you?"

"I don't know, is your son the big, stupid bully who goes around pushing baby girls and calling them names?"

The Doctor looked up at them in shock. "I'm trying to do something here!," he exclaimed.

"What's that?," asked the woman just noticing the reindeer for the first time.

"Oh, well, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree," said Donna. "And that tree is apparently in a very shady patch."

The reindeer blinked and disappeared again.

"Great, you scared him off," Donna said to the woman.

"Doggie go bye bye," Zara said sadly.

"Come on, Donna, I can track the energy signature and extrapolate its next destination."

Donna looked at the woman. "Things to do. Out of my way."

The Doctor grabbed the pram and they raced out of Harrod's.


	4. Chapter 4

Author's Notes: I do not own Doctor Who, the Doctor Donna or Hello Kitty. Thanks for reading and hope you enjoy.

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><p>The Doctor, Donna and Zara raced over to Hyde Park following the signal on the Doctor's Hello Kitty Timey Wimey Detector.<p>

"Don't call it that!," the Doctor said to Donna as they raced in the park.

"If it's not a Hello Kitty Timey Wimey Detector, then why's it got Hello Kitty on it?"

"It had the parts I needed!"

"Don't be such a grouch. You can give it to Zara to detect Timey Wimey things when she gets to be a bit older!"

They tracked the energy signature to the Winter Wonderland portion of the park. The place was full of families trying to make the most of Christmas Eve. There was a wheel and carnival rides, a Christmas circus and an ice rink.

"What?," exclaimed the Doctor. "Why has no one ever taken me here? Is this new?"

"I'm sorry, I thought you were terrified of Christmas," said Donna.

"I am, but I like carousels. And ice skating! I haven't ice skated in centuries, Donna!"

"Singing!," shouted Zara.

The Doctor looked up at a group of carolers and was relieved to find they were all human as they sang a rendition of "Good King Wenceslas."

They went to seach farther and when they were in the Bavarian Village Donna was about through with it.

"Okay, Time Boy, where's Rudolph?"

"I don't understand, it's like the signature's moving. Every time I go to follow it, it's as if he's changed destinations."

"Biscuit!," said Zara.

"Zara, how can you think of food at a time like this?," asked the Doctor.

"Mummy!," said Zara.

"Mummy's got it, sweetheart," said Donna.

She steered the Doctor to one of the stalls selling German baked goods. She got biscuits and hot chocolates and they sat down at a nearby table.

"Here, Zara," said Donna, "I got you a gingerbread woman."

Zara looked at Donna suspiciously. She pointed at her hair.

"No, Zara, it's made with ginger, not of gingers," said the Doctor.

"Oh, that is ridiculous," said Donna. She looked back at Zara who still looked worried.

"It's not ridiculous, I find that most things I encounter turn out to be quite literal."

"Such as?," asked Donna.

"Well, 'We didn't have the parts' for starters," said the Doctor.

"What?"

The Doctor remembered he had once just narrowly escaped a full out explanation of his time with Madame de Pompadour. He decided not to press his luck. "Never mind."

Donna looked at Zara. "It's a spice, sweetheart. Here, Mummy will have a bite first."

Zara watched as Donna ate and joined in. The Doctor, having regained possession of his sonic screwdriver, tried to increase the accuracy of the Hello Kitty Timey Wimey Detector.

"The signal's stabilizing a bit, maybe I can get a better projection in a moment and we can follow him," said the Doctor.

"I'm starting to think I had it easy last pregnancy when you couldn't force me to run around chasing something."

"That pram's got really good suspension, though."

"Okay, time travelling reindeer, what do you think?"

"I don't know. Maybe it's a Time Reindeer? Time Deer?"

"Is there a such thing as Time Deer or are you just making up nonsense?"

"I'm just making it up, but there should be such a thing as Time Deer. That would be brilliant!"

"Sort of makes sense, though," said Donna.

"What part of it makes sense?"

Donna gave a cautious look at Zara. The little girl was watching her mother intently as she ate her biscuit.

"Well, Father Christmas is meant to visit all the children of the world on Christmas Eve, right?"

"Except for the ones Hanukkah Harry visits."

"Who is Hanukkah Harry?"

"Nice bloke. Lovely wife. She makes fantastic blintzes."

"You're putting me on?"

"I am most certainly not putting you on," said the Doctor. "I'll take you later. But, yes, Father Christmas is meant to visit all the children of the world in one night and the outlying colonies and the space stations and one sect of Ood that adopt Christianity."

"Christian Ood?"

"They got taken in by the whole Christmas thing. You should hear them carol. Donna, if you keep getting distracted by everything I say, you're never going to make your point."

Donna sighed. "The point is, that if he were to do that..." She cast a glance at Zara. "...because of course he does, wouldn't he need a time machine or something to go that many places in a single night?"

"Or a time stopper."

"What's a time stopper?"

"What's it sound like?"

Donna decided to ignore that. "Okay, but wouldn't he?"

"Suppose so, but that would be exhausting for a reindeer."

"Big doggie!," shouted Zara.

"Zara," he looked back at her to see she was pointing in the air.

The reindeer was flying. People in the crowd noticed and started pointing in awe and the children got absolutely giddy. There were shouts of "Rudolph" and delighted shrieks.

"It flies," said Donna.

"Uh-huh."

"IT. FLIES."

"I noticed."

The reindeer started showing off doing maneuvers and tricks in the air. The Doctor and Donna stood up.

"What's he doing?," asked Donna.

"I don't know," said the Doctor.

"Big doggie!," shouted Zara, clapping her hands in glee and making tiny screams of delight.

Then the Doctor noticed the reindeer was eyeing Zara, gauging her reaction.

"It's her! He's here for Zara!"

"What? You mean Rudolph's trying to kidnap my baby?," asked Donna. That really would be too much.

"No, I think he just wants to be her friend."

Rudolph did a loop and came in for a landing in front of the pram, lowering his head to Zara. She reached up and patted his muzzle.

"Good doggie," said Zara.

"That's why I couldn't track him! He's been looking for us!"

Donna then noticed there was quite a crowd forming around them and the flying red-nosed reindeer.

"Doctor, I don't suppose you have any ideas about what we're going to do next?"

"Well, we can't stay here," said the Doctor noticing the police approaching.

"Your plan is?," asked Donna eyeing the same police.

"Well, first you grab the pram."

Donna did. "Yeah?"

"Now grab my wrist."

Donna shook her head and used the hand not on the pram to take hold of his wrist. He grabbed Rudolph's reins with his other hand.

"We are not flying!," said Donna.

"Of course not." He shook the reins. "On Rudolph!"

The crowd watched in amazement as a reindeer, the Doctor, Donna and Zara blinked into a white light.


	5. Chapter 5

Author's Notes: I do not own Doctor Who, the Doctor or Donna. Happy Christmas Eve! Enjoy!

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><p>Esther was sitting back in the Smith House, watching telly in the sitting room when her family blinked in with a reindeer. She did the sensible thing and stood up and started to bark at the reindeer, her front paws lifting up off the sofa with every noise.<p>

"Hush, Esther!," said the Doctor. "Haven't you ever seen a reindeer before?"

"What was that?," shouted Donna.

"Oh, he's got a vortex manipulator on his harness. See?"

"I'm sorry, so it's like we went through the thing that the TARDIS goes through only without the TARDIS?"

"Well, like it in that that's exactly what happened, yes."

Donna smacked the Doctor on the arm. As he winced, she added on more shouting, "Are you out of your mind? How can that possibly be safe?"

"It's fine, Donna. I did the same thing with Jack and Martha once."

"Oh, well, I guess that's okay!" She rolled her eyes at him and knelt down to Zara. "Are you okay, sweetheart?"

"Go fast!," said Zara still buzzing.

"Oh, good. She's like you," said Donna.

"Now, all we need to figure out is why a red-nosed reindeer from the seventy first century wants to be friends with a Time Baby from the twenty first."

"What? You were serious about that being friends thing?"

"Obviously."

"It is not obvious! What part of it is obvious?"

The door opened and Ianto, Sylvia and Wilf came in. Wilf was sporting a brand new set of Christmas antlers.

"Thought you'd still be at Harrod's," said the Doctor.

"We were, then the employees started talking about a flying reindeer in Hyde Park so naturally we thought of you," said Ianto. He looked at the reindeer. "He has a red nose."

"What's a reindeer doing in the house?," asked Sylvia. "It's going to make a huge mess."

"Should we get him some hay or something?," asked Wilf.

"He'll take a carrot," said the Doctor. "Also, take off your antlers."

"What?"

"He finds them offensive."

"What? You expect us to think you're really talking to that reindeer?," asked Sylvia.

"Why not? I talk to the dog and the baby all the time."

Sylvia looked at Donna and she nodded. The Doctor took the vortex manipulator off the reindeer's harness and looked at it. Wilf went to go get a carrot as Sylvia stewed and followed him. Donna got Zara out of the pram and sat on the sofa with her and Esther.

"This is weird, it's been pre-programmed for different addresses for five minutes or so at a time. Thousands of them in here."

"As if he was making deliveries," said Donna.

"Exactly, but these are all for the seventy first century, he's gone five thousand years off his itinerary. The question is why."

Zara reached over to touch the vortex manipulator. The Doctor spotted her and held her hand back. "No touching."

"Great. All I need is my baby travelling through time on her own," said Donna as she pulled Donna back towards her.

Just then another white light blinked in and a man in a suit appeared. Esther began to bark again. He flashed a badge of some sort.

"Gareth Hanover, with the Kringle Korporation, two 'K's. I'm here to collect our property."

The reindeer grunted.

"The Kringle Korporation?," asked the Doctor.

"All you need to know is that reindeer is company property and I have come to collect him. The Kringle Korporation has a strict policy against spoilers."

"No!," shouted Zara.

"What do you mean he's company property? Are you the ones programming his vortex manipulator? What do you need a time travelling reindeer for?"

"As if you have to ask," said Gareth.

"Look, this reindeer came to us. He keeps coming to my daughter," said Donna. "Mind telling me what that's about?"

"To her?" Gareth seemed perplexed.

"I think you should tell us exactly what the Kringle Korporation does," said Ianto.

"We arrange visits for children from Father Christmas and his reindeer. Actually Father Christmas, Santa Claus, Papa Noel. After we get the deposit you can call him what you like."

"You sell visits from Father Christmas! That's rubbish!," said the Doctor. "See, this is why I like Hanukkah Harry, he never sells out."

"Who's Hanukkah Harry?," asked Ianto.

"What do you charge for something like that?," asked Donna.

"Donna, we're not paying for a visit from Father Christmas," said the Doctor.

"I have a brochure somewhere," said Gareth as he searched his pockets. He took out a scanner and pointed it towards Zara.

"Oi! What do you think you're doing?," said Donna. Ianto pulled the scanner away from him and Donna stood in front of the baby.

"Sorry to disappoint you, but we at the Kringle Korporation deliver Christmas to anyone, except Time Tots. You'll find that in the brochure as well. Our attorneys said we had to be very clear on that point."

"What sort of discriminatory policy is that?," asked the Doctor. "And who started calling them Time Tots?"

"Because the nomenclature is really what's important at this point," said Ianto.

"What do you mean no Time Tots? There's only one," said Donna. "Well, two."

"As I said the Kringle Korporation has a strict policy against spoilers," said Gareth.

"I really don't like that word," said Donna. "I really mean that."

"Time Tots have a habit of taking the reindeer off course, that is really all I can say."

They had failed to notice that Zara had picked up the vortex manipulator and was holding the reindeer by the harness.

"Now, I really must take our reindeer and the vortex manipulator."

"What are you not telling me?," asked the Doctor. "Why do Time Babies- that's the correct term by the way- take the reindeer off course?"

"Bye bye!," said Zara.

They turned and looked just in time to see Zara and the reindeer blink into a white light just as they started screaming no at her. Donna walked over to Gareth and grabbed him by the collar.

"Where's my baby?"

"This is why we refuse service to Time Tots. They're always taking our reindeer and you lot never pay the bill!"

"Listen, I don't care about your stupid corporation. Everyone tries to take my baby. Silver aliens, bints with a leather fetish, vomiting aliens and governments in collapsed universes! All I care about is my baby and I want her back! NOW!" She turned to the Doctor. "You! Do something Time Lordy!"

"Time Lordy?," asked the Doctor. "Now you're making up words."

"Who cares what I'm making up? Get my baby back here!"

Wilf walked in. "What's going on? Who's he?"

"That reindeer took Zara!"

"Yeah, I know, they're in the kitchen."

Donna rushed in the kitchen followed by Ianto, the Doctor and Gareth.

Zara was standing next to the reindeer, petting as high up his leg as she could. Sylvia seemed immune to the whole thing as she stood by the sink, washing vegetables.

"Oh, Zara, you scared Mummy," said Donna as she scooped the girl up. "Why are you so red?"

"Um, Donna," said the Doctor.

She looked and saw he was pointing at the leis around the necks of Zara and the reindeer.

"You went to Hawaii!," shouted Donna. "You can't go to Hawaii! Mummy's never even been to Hawaii!"

The Doctor turned to Gareth. "You keeping saying that Time Babies take your reindeer, but maybe your reindeer are going to Time Babies. Now, why would they do that?"

"How should I know?"

"I think they're trying to find someone who will help them. What do you think?"

"I don't know..."

"I think you should leave before I get really angry."

Gareth swallowed. "You'll be hearing from our attorneys."

Gareth blinked out. The Doctor walked to the reindeer and took away the vortex manipulator from Zara.

"These are dangerous!," said the Doctor. "Not for Time Babies!"

"So," said Ianto, "what do we do with the reindeer?"


	6. Chapter 6

Author's Notes: I do not own Doctor Who, the Doctor, Donna, Ianto or Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. Also, Merry Christmas! Hope you enjoy and let me know what you think. That would be festive.

* * *

><p>Sylvia watched in dismay as the Doctor gave the reindeer every vegetable in the fridge. It turned out he didn't care for bananas, though, much to Zara's dismay.<p>

"No, sweetheart, the problem is reindeer eat lichens," said the Doctor. He looked at Sylvia. "Didn't happen to pick up any lichens, did you?"

"I know a place for plankton," offered Ianto. "I would compare prices a bit, though. They really try to gouge you."

"How long are you going to keep this animal in the house?," asked Sylvia.

"Zara big doggie."

"And now she thinks it's a pet!," she said in even more frustration. "It's a wonder that my daughter even puts up with you. If only she hadn't run off Lance!"

"I keep telling you he tried to feed her to a giant spider. Why don't you listen?"

"She just wanted to make a nice Christmas for Zara and you go and ruin it with your... weirdness."

"Donna..." whined the Doctor.

"She's gone upstairs," said Ianto. "She said she was tired."

* * *

><p>The Doctor found Donna upstairs in the bedroom in the dark.<p>

This was never a good sign with humans. Particularly a Donna ramped up on pregnancy hormones.

"Donna?"

"I'll be down in a minute," she said tightly.

"We're all downstairs. Your mum's made more biscuits. Oh, your grandad went out for more reindeer food."

"I'll be down in a minute."

The Doctor sat next to Donna on the bed. "But it's no fun without you."

"I'll be there in a minute."

"How am I supposed to have fun if you're up here crying?"

Donna let a sob go. "Christmas is ruined."

"Oh, no, it's not. How is Christmas ruined?"

Donna shook her head. "I just wanted to make it nice for her not so screwed up like the last one."

"What does she care? She wasn't even born yet. She was inside you, happy, safe, content with the best mummy in the universe."

"I am not the best mummy in the universe."

"Says who?"

"I let her down."

"When have you ever let Zara down?"

Donna looked at the Doctor, her eyes were full of water, she was shaking. "The Time Beetle."

"The Time Beetle? What are you worried about that for? It's a collapsed universe, it's like a bad dream."

"You weren't there. You don't know what it was like. Every day, not knowing how I was going to be able to feed her or clothe her or take care of her-"

"Donna, it's okay. You weren't really there. I'm sorry the new baby woke up your memories of it, you shouldn't even remember it."

"Time Baby thing, right?"

"Right..." he said uncertainly.

"And I remember and Zara remembers everything."

The Doctor just waited for Donna's next question.

"Then why did you lie to me and say she couldn't?"

"I didn't know then and I didn't want you to worry about it. She doesn't remember it the way that you do."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, that no matter how scary her world was there, she looked up at you and knew she had her mummy."

"I was a worthless mummy there."

"Not to her. You were there when she woke up and went to bed, you saw that she got enough to eat and she knew you were giving her food off your own plate."

"But they took her away and I couldn't stop them."

"She knew you were going to find a way to get back to her and you did."

"I got lucky."

"Lucky is an under appreciated virtue."

Donna shook her head and buried it in the Doctor's shoulder. Then she looked up. "Wasn't it weird for her? You're born and walking and talking and all of a sudden you're a three month old fetus again?"

"She didn't mind. She sort of thought of it as a holiday." He paused. "Donna, Christmas is very nice and all- so I hear- but it's no substitute for love and certainly no substitute for the way you two love each other. You don't have anything to make up for."

* * *

><p>The Doctor led Donna downstairs where the reindeer, Esther and Zara were watching the old American stop motion "Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer" special on telly. Ianto just looked on the spectacle in disbelief.<p>

"This is too weird," said Donna.

"He insists on talking through the whole thing," said Ianto motioning at the reindeer who just then grunted.

"Mummy!," Zara said pointing at the TV. "Big Doggie on telly!"

"I see."

"It's not him, Zara," said the Doctor.

"Well, don't tell her that," said Donna, getting down very carefully to sit next to Zara on the floor. "He's close enough."

"Why go to all the trouble to turn a reindeer into Rudolph?," asked Ianto. "The nose, the whole bit."

"He just thinks he's Rudolph," said the Doctor.

"He's got a fairly good case for it," said Donna. "If I looked like him, I would think I was Rudolph."

"Reindeer games!," shouted the Doctor.

"What?," asked Ianto.

"Donna, that's it! You are brilliant! Everyone get your coats! We're going to the Arctic!"

Ianto and Donna exchanged looks.

* * *

><p>They stepped out of the TARDIS and into a real winter wonderland, not the one in Hyde Park. Snow capped mountains as far as the eye could see, an evergreen forest, the stars shining brightly above them and reindeer.<p>

The Doctor led the reindeer out first. Donna held Zara as Ianto followed.

"What are we doing?," asked Donna.

"Taking him home," said the Doctor.

"Zara Big Doggie," said Zara.

The Doctor approached her. "I know, Zara, and he'll always be your reindeer, but he came to you for a reason. These reindeer are time sensitive. They look for other time sensitive creatures to help them and that's what you are, a Ginger Time Baby. He wanted you to help him get home."

"Red-nosed reindeer, though," said Ianto, "isn't he going to stick out a bit?"

Just then about five reindeer with blinking red noses looked up at them.

"He might blend in more than you think," said the Doctor.

"How?," asked Donna in amazement.

"I don't know. Maybe other refugees from the seventy first century? But how did they get here?"

Zara looked at the reindeer and up at Donna.

"Daddy's right," said Donna. "He's a wild animal, he ought to be out running free with his friends, not locked away."

Zara looked at the reindeer, it nuzzled up to her.

"Bye bye, big doggie," she said sadly as she patted it on the nose.

"That's my girl," said Donna. She gave the reindeer an affectionate pat.

The Doctor took off the reins and harness. He shouted, "On Rudolph!" and gave him a smack on the rear. The reindeer galloped off into the snowy night. Zara began to sob and Donna rubbed her back.

"Oh, Zara, don't cry," said the Doctor. "He's going to have a good life. All the reindeer will love him and let him play in their reindeer games, shouting out with glee. He'll go down in history."

Zara looked comforted by that while Donna shot the Doctor a glare.

"What?"

"Doctor," said Ianto.

The Doctor and Donna looked and the reindeer were joined by even more reindeer wearing vortex manipulators.

"Big doggies," said Zara.

"Yeah," said the Doctor, "lots of big doggies."

* * *

><p>Christmas morning. Donna, the Doctor and Ianto watched as Zara played in a sea of wrapping paper. They were meeting Sylvia and Wilf for dinner out later, having fed most of the ingredients for Christmas dinner to Zara's reindeer.<p>

"Okay," said Donna watching the melee as Esther burrowed under the paper and Zara tried desperately to put a bow on her head, "I might have overdone it."

"Might have," said the Doctor. "Oh, look, Zara, there's still one more."

He pulled out a box Donna didn't recognize with gold paper withs holograms.

"What is that?," asked Donna.

"I don't know. Let's see."

The Doctor crawled over to Zara and helped her with the box. He took off the lid and she pulled out a reindeer with a red nose and a harness with a vortex manipulator.

"Big doggie!"

"Yes."

"That isn't for real, is it?," asked Donna.

"Do I look mad, Donna?," asked the Doctor.

Donna looked at Ianto. They exchanged glances and looked back in unison and said, "Yes."

"It's not. It's just a toy."

"Did you make it yourself, Doctor?," asked Ianto.

"Yes. Seventy first century Build-A-Bear. This is some sort of promotional tie-in."

"When did you get that?," asked Donna.

"I do have a time machine, you know."

Just then, Father Christmas blinked in holding a sparkly red envelope. The Doctor put himself in front of Zara.

"Jesus!," said Ianto.

"Is there a Zara Smith Noble here?," asked Father Christmas.

Zara clapped her hands and moved out from behind the Doctor. "Zara!"

Father Christmas handed her the envelope. "You've been served."

Zara looked at the envelope perplexed.

"What do you mean she's been served?," asked Donna.

"Look, lady, I just deliver these. Happy Christmas," he said and blinked out.

"What is it?," asked Ianto.

The Doctor opened the envelope as Zara looked on eagerly.

"Zara's being sued."

"Sued for what?," asked Donna.

"Corporate theft, it says she reprogrammed the vortex manipulators on the reindeer."

"The other reindeer," said Ianto.

"But she's a baby," said Donna.

"Well, she hasn't done it yet," said the Doctor.

"How can you sue a baby for something she hasn't done yet?," asked Donna.

"Happens to me all the time," said the Doctor.

"Where Zara toy?," asked Zara.

"Oh," said the Doctor. "Well..."

"That wasn't the real Father Christmas, sweetheart," said Donna. "That was some rubbish impersonator. Father Christmas brought you your presents last night like he said we would when we met him at Harrod's."

"Okay." Zara went back to her toy.

The Doctor went back and sat next to Donna.

"I suppose we should frame it or something. Baby's first lawsuit," said Donna.

The Doctor grinned. "See? This Christmas hasn't been a disaster after all."

Donna shook her head. "Merry Christmas, Doctor."

"Merry Christmas."


End file.
